Warriors: Deception
by Lupe1o1
Summary: What happens when your friends are your enemies?
1. Prologue

**This is a short chapter, but hey, it is the prologue. Prologues are never long. Rest assured, the regular chapters will be much longer. I still don't have all the details ironed out, but I just decide to make it up as I go. Hope it comes together at the end! Anyways, enjoy and review.**

The moon shone brightly as the dark clouds drifted lazy across the dark sky. In the middle of a clearing sat a small orange tabby. Even though he was smaller than an average cat, there was something about him that demanded respect. Maybe it was the way he carried himself, or maybe it was the way he sat. Either way, he was still someone you wouldn't want to mess with. A rustle from the bushes caused him to turn around with his teeth bared. A cat had stepped out of the bushes. It was only after he had identified the new cat did he relax and sit back down.

"You shouldn't sneak up on cats like that," he said, "especially in times like this."

The new cat snorted in disgust. "What are you, afraid? You used to be the best warrior in the forest! Now, you are just a frail cat who is scared of every little thing."

"Now's not a good time for this," he sighed, "Why are you here, Russetclaw?"

"You know me too well to take my insults to heart, right?" he mewed with a chuckle.

"Well, I have known you since we were kits."

"Yeah, we were a mischievous pair, weren't we, Flamepelt?"

"We were a bit of a pawful." Flamepelt said with a hint of nostalgia, "now why are you here again?"

"Foxpaw just told me about something important."

"Well, what is it?"

"He said that all the bad things that are happening to us are because of the Dark Forest." Russetclaw meowed.

"The Dark Forest? Well that's a name I haven't heard in a long time. Are you sure?"

"I'm pretty sure I heard him correctly."

"I'm not doubting you, Russetclaw," Flamepelt said, kneading the mossy floor with his paws, "I am just not sure whether we can trust that apprentice. I mean he is just an apprentice after all."

"He is my apprentice! I trust him as much as I trust myself!" he snarled.

Flamepelt took a step back, away from the furious tom, "Alright, just keep your fur on."

Taking a moment to calm himself, Russetclaw sat down and groomed his fur. After a moment, he asked, "So what exactly did he say?"

"He ran up to me with a wild look in his eyes and said that he saw Lionstar hunting in the forest!"

"Lionstar!" Russetclaw exclaimed, "the last time I saw him was when.."

"I know!" Flamepelt said, not allowing Russetclaw to finish, "I was with you. That was why I couldn't believe it when Foxpaw told me."

"If this is true, then it would be disastrous! Lionstar must have been the most dangerous cat ever to live! Did Foxpaw say anything else?"

"Nope, after he told me, he just ran away." Flamepelt muttered, "We should send a prophecy."

"No!," Russetclaw said, "we can't do that! Right now, the only advantage that we have is the element of surprise. Without it, we have nothing."

"Well, we can't just stand aside and do nothing," Flamepelt argued, kneading the sandy floor, "there must be something we can do. Maybe one of us can.."

"You know that it won't work!" Russetclaw burst out, frustrated, "I want to help Blazeclan as much as you do, but with have to tread carefully. It might be the only way to avoid a disaster."

"Yeah, you're right. I just wish that I can do something. Maybe..." Flamepelt's eyes brightened as an idea formed in his mind. "Maybe we can tell a kit."

"A kit?" Russetclaw said incredulously

"Yeah."

"A kit," Russetclaw repeated, still not believing what he just heard, "what good will that do?"

"I don't know, maybe he would be able to warn the leader. At least we would be doing something."

" Fine, but it has to be an Iceclan kit."

"Iceclan?" it was Flamepelt's turn to be surprised, "why not Blazeclan?"

Russetclaw gave Flamepelt a 'I can't believe you never thought of this look'. "Because Lionstar was from Blazeclan. Whatever plan he has must include Blazeclan, not Iceclan. Warning an Iceclan kit would mean a less chance of being found out."

"Okay, that makes sense, I guess." Flamepelt muttered.

"Now, all there is to decide is who to deliver the message to."

"I got just the kit." Flamepelt answered


	2. Chapter 1

"Open your eyes, Snowkit."

"Pleaseee, just a little while more," Snowkit muttered.

"It's really really important."

Why can't Brackenkit wait for me to wake up before bugging me? She thought.

"Come on! Get up!"

Thinking that she could ignore his voice, Snowkit snuggled up even closer against her mother's warm fur, trying to go back to sleep.

"You can't do that you know," she heard him say, "You are already asleep."

For the first time since hearing his voice, she wondered if it was Brackenkit. He certainly sounded similar but the way he talks is just a bit different. Giving up, Snowkit opened her eyes and rolled away from the comfort of her mother.

"Fine, you win. But this better be..." Snowkit stopped in the middle of her sentence when she saw the mysterious cat. "You're not Brackenkit!" she exclaimed.

"Uhh..., I never said I was." he said quizzically, "But it doesn't matter, I need to show you something."

"I'm not going anywhere!" she spat, "I am not suppose to follow strange cats."

"I'm not a stranger," he meowed calmly, "I'm your clanmate."

"Then how come I've never seen you before?" she asked.

"Ummm..., It's because I have never visited the nursery before."

"How could you! The nursery is the best place in the entire camp."

"Well, I have something better to show you."

"What is it?"

"I guess you just have to follow me to find out!" Without waiting for Snowkit to answer, the orange cat leaped out of the nursery. Struggling to keep up with him, Snowkit called out, "Wait up!" Slowing down, the orange cat waited for Snowkit to catch up.

"What's your name?" she panted.

"Oh, It's Foxpaw." he answered.

Realizing that she was in the clearing, she was surprised to see that there was nobody guarding the entrance to the camp. _Oh well, maybe they are out hunting or something._

"Have you caught your breath yet?"

Snowkit looked up to see Foxpaw looking at her impatiently.

"Oh, yeah, I'm ready."

"Good, try to keep up this time," He meowed playfully.

Determined to show that she was capable of keeping up, Snowkit followed hot on his heels. They breezed through the entrance of the camp and into the wilderness of the forest. Although Foxpaw leaped over boulders and fallen tree trunks without a break in his stride, Snowkit did not posses his agility and had to scramble over them. Soon, Foxpaw was almost out of sight. She was about to ask him to stop again when Foxpaw stopped abruptly near a stream of water. Letting out a sigh of relief, she padded the last few steps before flopping on to the ground in exhaustion.

_I will never get up again._ She thought.

Listening to the silence of the forest, she realized that this was her first time out of camp. Suddenly sitting up, Snowkit tried to take in everything that touched her senses. It was everything she expected and more. The branches swayed in the gentle wind while the water in the stream ran across some pebbles, causing a bubbling sound. Despite being in the middle of the night, there was enough light to give everything a faint glow. And in the middle of the clearing, sat Foxpaw. In the moonlight, he seemed to be shining. _I want to look like that!_ She padded up to Foxpaw and asked tentatively, "What was it that you want to show me again?" After a moment, he leaned forward and whispered, " _When Fire and Ice meets, the stars will fall."_

As he said it, the peaceful scene in front of them suddenly became disastrous. Half of the forest seemed to catch fire while the other half seemed to freeze. In the thick of it all, one by one, the stars began to fall.

"_The darkness will rise and be the doom of us all."_

What once was the glowing forest was now engulfed in shadows. Snowkit let out an involuntary gasp as a chill went up her spine.

"_But for us to shine, you must not be deceived."_

By then, the forest seemed to have started rotting. What was once teeming with life was now a desolate place.

"_Trust your heart, journey for help, and you can bring back the stars."_

As Foxpaw finished his speech, everything was back to normal again. It was the same glowing forest from before. But despite of it all, Snowkit could not shake of a sense of trouble.

"What did that mean?" she asked, her voice shaking from what she just saw.

"Well, that's for you to find out." Foxpaw said, back to his old self. "Now, why don't you go back to sleep and think about this."

"Okay," Snowkit answered doubtfully.

"I'll race you back to camp!" Foxpaw challenged.

As much as what she just saw have shaken her, she could not refuse a good challenge.

"The last one back is mouse dung!"

"_snowkit... Snowkit!"_

"Huh?" she mumbled sleepily.

"Snowkit! Wake up!"

"Mhmmm? Wha.. whatisit?" Snowkit felt like her head was full of clouds. She couldn't think properly.

"Are you okay? You were making all sorts of terrible noises!"

"Noooo, I'm okay." Snowkit managed to say.

"Are you sure?" she heard her mother asked.

"Yeah, just stop fussing about me already." Snowkit opened her eyes to see Amberleaf's eyes staring at her.

Seeing that everything was blurry, Snowkit shut her eyes again. _What's wrong with me? _

"Snowkit, are you alright? It is already sunhigh and you still haven't eaten yet." Amberleaf told her ,worried that she was falling sick.

_Come to think of it, I am pretty hungry_. She just hoped that there were still some freshkill left for her.

"It was just a nightmare, nothing to worry about."

"Alright, if you say so," Amberleaf meowed, full of doubt.

"I'm feeling better already," as if to illustrate her point, Snowkit stood up uncertainly on her four paws, "I'm just going to get something to eat."

Feeling her mother's gaze on her back, she stumbled out in to the sunshine. As she padded unsteadily to the freshkill pile, flashes of her dream came back to her. The memory was so strong that she had to stop moving just to cope with all that. _What was all that? Was it just a dream? If it was, why do I feel this way? _

After the onslaught of images have passed, she managed to get herself a vole and she sat down to devour it. In the middle of her meal, her brother came up to her.

"Hey Snowkit, how are you? You kept me up all night with your scratching and whimpering." Brackenkit humorously.

"I'm sorreeey, not my fault I had such a bad nightmare." she snapped

"Geeshh, I'm just kidding, don't get your fur in to a knot," he meowed, taking a step back, "anyways, why do you get a whole vole to yourself ? Mother never lets me do that."

Snowkit looked down at her half finished vole, suddenly feeling very full. "I'm actually kinda full, do you want to share the rest with me?"

"Sure thing!"

Brackenkit dived into the vole like he haven't eaten in moons and finished it within minutes.

"Now that that's out of the way, let's go ask Wolfpaw to show us some battle moves!"

"Battle moves! That will be cool but I don't think his mentor would have taught him any of that yet. After all, he only just became a warrior last sunhigh."

"Oh, yeah. I guess you are right." Brackenkit's tail drooped at the prospect of having nothing to do for the rest of the day. "It's so boring with us being the last two kits. It was so much more exciting when Wolfpaw and Rosepaw were also kits."

"I guess so." Snowkit replied, "I can't wait to become an apprentice!"

"Me too!"

_It can't be long now, we must be close to being 6 moons. It felt like I've been in the nursery for way too long._

As if Brackenkit read her thoughts, he murmured, "I just wish time would hurry up."

"Snowkit! It's getting dark. Get back in the nursery!"

"Just a little while more!" she protested, "I almost got it."

Turning her attention back on to the mouse, she stalked forward. Remembering what Wolfpaw told her this sunhigh, she kept herself low and tried to keep her tail stiff and still. Pawstep after pawstep, Snowkit made sure to tread lightly so as to not alert her prey. _Almost there! Just a couple more steps and then.._ Snowkit stopped a foxlength away from it. Holding her breath for good measure, she pounced. Right before her paws connected with the prey, it moved! The chase was on. Snowkit chased after the mouse as if her life depended on it. Dodging around warriors, she raced forward, hoping to catch it soon, before she got too tired. As the mouse slowed down, maybe to catch its breath, Snowkit made the final leap, snagging the tip of the mouse with her claws, she was sent rolling because of momentum. As she rolled to a halt, she bit into the mouse, ending its life.

"What are you doing? I told you to get back in the nursery."

Snowkit looked up from the ball of moss she was gripping. Half the warriors in the clearing were staring at her.

"Crazy kits," she heard Thornclaw mutter.

Still panting, Brackenkit ran up to her. "You're too fast, I couldn't drag the moss ball fast enough."

"Hah!" she crowed triumphantly, "I am Snowstar! No mice can escape my paws!"

"Well, Snowstar," her mother meowed, "unless you want to lose a life, you might want to come into the nursery."

Despite Amberleaf's reprimanding tone, the excitement of the earlier chase did not diminish at all. Meanwhile, Brackenkit sat sullenly next to her while their mother groomed them.

"Did you see what I did?" Snowkit boasted, "I felt like I was flying when I leaped for the moss. And then I was rolling on the floor but I didn't let go. My paws were so tired but I kept holding on, and then I delivered the killing blow." To demonstrate her point, Snowkit made a biting motion with her mouth. "And all the time, the mouse never stood a chance."

"Yeah, good job." Brackenkit said unenthusiastically, "But you know that real mice are faster right?"

"I doesn't matter," she said stubbornly, "I'll still be an excellent hunter, right mother?"

"Right, you are going to be the best hunter in the clan." she meowed while she finish grooming Brackenkit, "Now go to bed, it's another great day tomorrow."

"Alright."

Padding over to her nest, she curled up into a ball. Despite all that went on, she still could not shake the feeling of danger. _Why do I feel like this? It feels like I am a part of something big and important. But that's just mouse dung isn't it. I'm just a kit. Why would I be so special?_

Well, because you had a special vision, a part of her said. _Well maybe it was just a dream, not a vision._

But deep down inside, she knew that it was not a dream. It was to real. _What did Foxpaw say again? Oh yeah. He said something about the stars falling when Ice and Fire meets. What does that mean. The stars probably mean Starclan. Fire and Ice probably refers to Iceclan and Blazeclan. But does this mean that the Gatherings are dangerous? After all, that's when the two clans meet._ Snowkit felt a chill run up her spine. She curled up even tighter, trying to keep the chill out.

Suddenly, something touch her back, frightening her. Unsheathing her claws, she got ready to turn around and shred what ever it was.

"Snowkit, it's just me."

Feeling relieved and angry at the same time Snowkit asked irritably, "What is it? I'm trying to sleep."

Brackenkit crawled over to where she was curled up. "I was just wondering about how much you want to be an apprentice."

Snowkit snorted sleepily. "You really need to ask? Of course I want to be an apprentice! I don't think I can wait!" _Although, there might something even more important that I am involved in._

"Well, then you won't disagree that we need to prove that we are ready."

Snowkit blinked at him, surprised. "Why? We are going to be apprentices soon anyways. Like you said, we must be close to being six moons by now."

"Yeah, but I can't wait anymore. And maybe if we do something really impressive, we will get really good mentors. Maybe Silverstar herself. Won't that be awesome," Brackenkit meowed, eyes shining.

"Fine. What are we going to do?"

"Remember that dog that is by our border?"

"Yeah, it almost bit Echoclaw's tail off." Snowkit's eyes widened as she realized what Brackenkit was suggesting. "We can't do that!"

"Why not?" Brackenkit argued, "There's only one of it and there are two of us."

"We are kits! There's a reason why kits have to stay in camp."

"We are big enough to be warriors. Do you want to be an apprentice or not?"

"Of course I do!"

"Well, let's do this then. It won't be that difficult. We just have to chase it out of the territory."

"Sure," Snowkit pushed away her misgivings, she can't let Brackenkit do this himself can she? Knowing him, even if she doesn't go with him, he would still go after the dog. "Just don't do anything too reckless."

"Yeah, yeah. You're starting to sound like Amberleaf."

Giving Brackenkit a good natured swipe to the shoulder, she stood up silently, "Well, let's get going"

Brackenkit sprung to his feet. Giving himself a quick shake before heading to the entrance of the camp. As he neared the camp entrance, he stopped abruptly.

"What is it?" Snowkit whispered.

"Stormpelt is guarding the entrance, how are we suppose to get past that?" seeing Snowkit's face, He couldn't help but ask, "What?"

"You wanted to go chase a dog and you didn't even plan how to get out of the camp?"

"Hey, I didn't know that there would be a guard."

"Mouse brain," Snowkit muttered, "follow me, I know there is a gap in the brambles near the medicine cat den."

Making sure that they stuck to the shadows, Snowkit led the way, sneaking past Stormpelt and towards the other side of the camp. As they neared the gap, Brackenkit's jaw dropped. "This is the gap? It's hardly bigger than a mouse."

"Do you have a better idea?" Snowkit mewed impatiently, "If not, then stop complaining."

Still grumbling, Brackenkit squeezed through the gap, leaving quite an amount of fur behind. Snowkit followed close behind, having just a little more success in keeping her fur on her pelt. They spent a moment to groom their fur before setting off to find the dog.

"Is this the first time you've been in the forest?" Snowkit asked.

"Yeah," Brackenkit answered distractedly, "It's so amazing and beautiful. Isn't this your first time too?"

"No," Snowkit replied, "I saw it in a visi..." she stopped abruptly, realizing how weird it would sound if she told Brackenkit that she had a vision. _ He would think I'm mouse brained. _Thankfully, Brackenkit was still too captivated by the sights before him to notice her slip up. As they traveled deeper into the forest, Snowkit asked, "Are we almost there?"

"Oh, umm.." Taking a moment to get his bearings, Brackenkit turned around in a circle, hoping to see something that would point them in the right direction.

"There!" Brackenkit pointed with his tail, "That rock with the badger face on it. I remember that Echoclaw told me about the badger-rock that she passed while she was on patrol. She said something about it being a bad omen. We're almost there. Just follow me."

Snowkit suppressed a shudder that ran down her spine as she inspected the rock. The rock seemed so much like a badger that she couldn't help but wonder if it was a real badger that was somehow encased in rock. _I certainly hope not. It wouldn't be good to have a badger on our territory._

Just as Snowkit was starting to enjoy the night walk, a terrible stench hit her like a boulder. Despite herself, she could not help but stumble at the smell. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw that her brother suffered the same fate.

"Ewww! What's that smell? It's almost as bad as crow food!" Her littermate complained.

"I bet it's the dog!"

"Or it might just be Blazeclan." Brackenkit snickered.

"Shhhhsshhhhhhhhh!" Snowkit shushed, "I hear something."

Sure enough, there was a loud snap behind one of the bushes.

"There it is again!" Snowkit exclaimed, "I think it's the dog."

Brakenkit's eyes widened with excitement. "What are we waiting for? Let's show the dog who's boss."

Pushing away the lasts of her doubts, Snowkit took a deep breath, "Let's do this."

Brackenkit led the way, pushing aside the bushes as he went. When they finally emerged from the bushes, he let out an involuntary hiss of astonishment.

"What is it?" Snowkit asked as she padded up beside him.

"It's the dog," he whispered, "It's huge!"

"What did you expect?" Snowkit whispered back, "If it was small, the warriors would have gotten rid of it."

They spent the next few minutes watching it. It was eating something black and furry. Judging by its appearance, it seemed like it had not eaten for days.

"Well," Brackenkit mewed nervously, "Let's do this."

"Hold on."

"What is it?"

"What exactly are we going to do?"

"I'm sure that if we both run at it yowling and hissing, it will turn tail and run." Brackenkit said uncertainly.

"Okay. You lead."

Brackenkit fluffed out his fur to try to look more intimidating. "Ready?"

Snowkit nodded, trying to calm her nerves. _Why am I doing this? Starclan help me!_ With that last prayer, Snowkit followed Brackenkit's example. They burst out of the bushes hissing and charging at the dog. Caught in the moment, Snowkit felt like the entire clan was behind her. _We might actually be able to do this. _Seeing the two ferocious cats, the dog retreated, moving away from them.

"It's working!" Snowkit exclaimed while she advanced on the whimpering dog. Not giving it a chance to react, Snowkit aimed the first blow, swiping across its muzzle with claws unsheathed. The dog shied away from the blow, backing away from her. Brackenkit followed up her attack with another blow to its muzzle. Working as a team, they took turns striking at the dog. Despite its fearful appearance, it did not put up much of a fight. But that all changed when Snowkit scratched its eye. Blinded by rage, it retaliated. Gripping hold of Brackenkit, it flung him across the clearing.

"Brackenkit!" Snowkit cried out as he landed motionless on the other side. _This can't be happening!_ Snowkit felt a blow on her side, flinging her on to the ground.

"Oohmmph," Snowkit grunted as all the breath was knocked out of her.

"Snowkit! Get up!"

"Foxpaw?" Snowkit asked, bewildered.

The orange cat nodded in acknowledgment before calling out urgently, "Hurry up, the dog..."

That was all it took to get Snowkit going. Leaping to her paws, she bolted, running away from the dog as fast as possible.

"No! Snowkit! This way!"

She turned around to see Foxpaw pointing in another direction with her tail. With the dog boring down on her, she decided to follow Foxpaw. Reacting almost without thinking, Snowkit ran across the mossy floor, ignoring the branches as it whipped passed her, leaving deep scratches in her pelt.

"This way!"

Snowkit followed Foxpaw's directions, weaving in and out between trees, hoping to somehow lose the dog.

"Are we almost there?" Snowkit panted, "I can't take this much longer!"

"Yup," Foxpaw answered, not losing a beat in his step, "Just hang in a little while longer."

Snowkit nodded, too tired even talk now. Despite the speed at which she was traveling, she realized that the dog was easily keeping pace with her. It's breath was steady and even, always just a few paw steps behind her. _It's playing with me! It can probably catch me anytime it wants. _Snowkit could feel the panic start to well up inside of her. _Please Starclan! Help me!_

"Snowkit, listen closely."

She looked up to see Foxpaw looking at her over his shoulder.

"We are going to climb up a few logs, it will be easy, just keep close to me and you'll be alright."

Snowkit nodded again, feeling her strength slowly drain away. _I hope it's soon._

Suddenly, out of the trees, she spotted a giant fallen tree. _It's huge! _

"Don't worry, you can do it." Foxpaw reassured her as though he could hear her thoughts.

As they reached the tree, Foxpaw leaped on to it with ease waiting at the top for her. _Here goes nothing! _Mustering up her strength, she bunched her legs beneath her, leaping up with a burst of power. She barely made the jump, leaving her to scramble up the tree trunk. Instead of leaping off the trunk and on to the other side of it, Fospaw ran up a nearby tree, using one of the branches from the fallen tree as a step to boost him higher. She looked at it with despair, there was no way she could do it.

"Snowkit! Hurry! The dog is coming!"

Looking back, she saw the dog trying to get up on to the log she was on. Fear lent her courage, pushing all the doubts from her mind. _I can do this!_ Trying to imitate Foxpaw, she ran along side the tree trunk until she reached the branch. With an enormous burst of speed, she sped up the branch, leaping only at the last second, just barely able to cling on to the branch that Foxpaw was on.

"You did it!" Foxpaw praised, "Good job."

Looking down, she saw the dog barking at them, probably mad because they were now out of reach.

"What are we going to do now?" she mewed, still trying to catch her breath. "The dog's not going to leave."

"Now," Foxpaw said with a sigh, "We wait for a Blazeclan patrol."

"A what!" Snowkit exclaimed.

**Cliffhanger! My favorite! Well this took a long time to write. At least it's longer than the prologue :) I will be writing this series from two different POVs from two different clans. And for anyone who is confused, Snowkit is from Iceclan. Please leave some reviews, which would be very helpful.**


	3. Chapter 2

Blazekit's paws trembled as he waited for his leader to call for a meeting. _This is it! Finally, I'll be able to show everyone what a great warrior I can be._

"Blazekit! Stop it!"

"What? I'm not doing anything!" He snapped.

"Yes you are. You're shaking like a trapped mouse. Maybe we should change your name to mousekit," his father said affectionately, "I know you are nervous for your apprentice ceremony, but you should calm down so I can groom you. We wouldn't want you to look like badger when you get your new name."

Letting out a sigh, Blazekit stared stonily at the wall, wishing that Sunstar would hurry up.

"What's taking so long?" he muttered under his own breath.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the ledge for a clan meeting."

Blazekit leapt to his paws, preparing to rush out into the clearing, ready to receive his apprentice name. Before he could even set one foot outside the nursery, his father grabbed him by his scuff, not letting him go.

"What are you doing?" Blazekit hissed.

"I'm helping you not to look like a fool in front of everybody," Lightflare mumbled around the fur in his mouth, "now if you would just calm down, I'll let you go."

Blazekit relented, going limp so that his father would set him down. Together, they padded side by side into the clearing where the rest of the clan was waiting. Looking up at the high rock, Sunstar looked like a cat from Starclan. Because of the sun shining down on him, he seemed to glow, making Sunstar looked like he was on fire. Blazekit stared in awe as his leader gracefully padded up to the tip of the ledge, balancing with what seemed like no effort at all. _I want to be like that. One day, I'm going to be leader. I will lead my clan and earn their respect. _With a flick of his tail, Sunstar signaled for them to be quiet so he could speak.

"Blazekit, you have reached the age of six moons and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Blazepaw. Your mentor will be be Flamewhisker. I hope Flamewhisker will pass down all she knows to you."

Blazekit's heart soared as he realized who his mentor was. Flamewhisker was the best fighter in the whole clan, maybe even the best fighter in both clans. _I just hope that she is as good as a mentor._

"Flamewhisker, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You have shown a great amount of courage and you have exceptional battle skills. I trust that you will pass on you skills to Blazepaw."

Blazepaw, padded over to Flamewhisker, heart pounding with nervousness._ What if Flamewhisker doesn't think that I can be a warrior? What if she doesn't like me?_ With these questions spinning in his head, Blazepaw touched noses with her. Much to his delight and relief, Flamewhisker's eyes were shining with joy.

"I'm glad that you're my mentor." Blazepaw whispered.

"And I'm glad that you're my apprentice." she replied.

"Blazepaw, Blazepaw, Blazepaw!"

Blazepaw grinned with excitement and embarrassment at the same time. _I will never forget this feeling._

"Blazepaw!"

He turned around to see Redpaw and Bluepaw rushing to congratulate him.

"Finally, you are an apprentice!" Redpaw mewed.

"Yeah, just be careful though," Blazepaw warned, "you won't be the best fighter in the apprentice den anymore!"

Redpaw swatted at him playfully which Blazepaw dodged with ease.

"But really," Blazepaw said seriously, "I'm going to be the best fighter in the clan."

"We'll see about that," Redpaw replied.

"Blazepaw, do you want to stay here and talk with your friends or do you actually want to go and explore the territory?"

Boding his friends farewell, Blazepaw turned to follow his mentor.

"Where are we going first?" Blazepaw asked eagerly, "Can we go to see the border?"

Flamewhisker purred at the eagerness of her apprentice. "Before we can explore another clan's territory, we need to know our own first."

"That's fine." Blazepaw replied.

As Blazepaw took his first steps out of the camp, he could not help but admire the scenery around him. Blazeclan's camp was a small crater sunk into a small hill. From all the way up here, Blazepaw felt that he could see everything. He could see a lush green forest in front of him while a lake stretched on behind him.

"What is behind the lake?"

As a kit, Blazeclan have heard about the lake, the one source of water that never dries up or diminish. The one constant source that has always helped them get past hard times. But one weird thing about it was that Blazepaw have never heard about what lies behind it. It was always the lake this, the lake that, but never what was behind it.

"Nothing," Flamewhisker replied simply.

"There has to be something, I see trees and prey over there."

"Fine," Flamewhisker said irritably, "you are such a stubborn cat."

Blazepaw let out a half smile. _At least I still haven't lost my reputation for being stubborn._

"Look at the lake." Flamewhisker instructed, "what do you see?"

Blazepaw stared obediently at the lake trying hard to see something special in it. After a while, Blazepaw gave up.

"I don't see anything."

"Right. And look at how big it is. It only seems small because we are so high up on a hill. Now imagine swimming two or three days with absolutely nothing. No food, only water. No land either."

"Yeah, but can't we go around it?"

"Can you see the land?"

Blazepaw squinted his eyes, barely able to make out a faint line where water and land meets.

"Just barely."

"Right, do you understand now? It would take too long to come here and back. We don't know what is over there. For all we know, it might be over run with badgers. That is why we call it the Beyond."

"The Beyond," Blazepaw repeated under his breath."

"Alright," Flamewhisker said, snapping Blazpaw out of his thoughts, "Enough talking about stuff, let's go explore."

Racing down the hill, Blazepaw could not help but feel free. Inside of camp, there was just so many cats that there was barely enough space to run. Now, with the landscape stretching infinitely to the horizon, Blazepaw felt as free as he could be. Soon, Blazepaw's breathing started to become labored. _I have to keep going, I can't let Flamewhisker think that I'm not fit enough._ When they finally reached the bottom of the hill, Blazpaw was ready to collapse from exhaustion. Noticing the state of her apprentice, Flamewhisker slowed down, giving him a chance to catch his breath.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, "I have never had an apprentice before, I don't really now how to train an apprentice yet."

"That's alright," Blazepaw said, still panting from the brief sprint down the hill, "I need to build up my stamina anyway."

Flamewhisker smiled at the resiliency of her apprentice. "I think you are going to be a great warrior."

Blazepaw's heart warmed at the compliment.

"Now, we're going to visit the training hollow first. It's where we will be going quite often."

Instead of taking of at a run, Flamewhisker walked at a leisurely pace, allowing her apprentice to admire the view. As they entered the forest, Blazepaw felt a shiver run through him. Looking back at him, Flamewhisker smiled at his expression.

"You might feel a bit cold because the sunlight doesn't reach us as much. The leaves block most of it."

As they traversed even deeper into the woods, Blazepaw realized just how much prey there was in the forest. He could always pick up the faint flapping of wings or the barely audible sound of mice. _How come the elders are always complaining about food when there is so much prey around here?_

"We're here." Flamewhisker announced.

Blazepaw stopped abruptly at seeing the large clearing in front of them.

"This, is the training hollow?" Blazepaw asked, astounded. "It's so big!"

"Yup!" Flamewhisker said proudly, "It was rumored that an entire clan can fit in this place."

"It certainly looks like it."

Still exploring the clearing, he realized every tail length of the clearing was covered in spongy moss, preventing any cat from getting hurt from falling.

"How come there is so much moss?"

"I don't know, some cats say that Starclan used this clearing as their den. I personally don't believe it."

"Then how come..."

"Jeez, give me a break," Flamewhisker mewed, "Do you never stop asking questions?"

"Well I'm curious. I want to know everything. How else am I suppose to be a warrior?"

"Here," Flamewhisker said as she padded into the middle of the clearing, "If you want to be a warrior, you need to know how to hunt."

_Finally, I get to learn how to hunt!_ Blazepaw managed to suppress his excitement as he followed Flamewhisker.

"Now, when you hunt, you need to keep in mind what you are hunting,"

"Why?" Blazepaw asked.

"I was going to tell you if you didn't interrupt me," Flamewhisker retorted.

Blazepaw fidgeted impatiently. _Well, then hurry up! Why do I need to know this. If I am the best hunter in the clan, it won't matter what I'm hunting, I'll still catch it. _

"Did you hear me?"

"Wait.. umm yeah?" Blazepaw stammered.

Flamewhisker let out a sigh. "Blazepaw, you need to pay attention. If you are going to learn anything, you need to listen to me."

"But I want to do something. I want to catch something for my clan."

"In order for you to catch your prey, you need to understand their weakness and their strengths."

"Alright." Blazepaw relented.

"Okay. When you are hunting mice, be sure to keep your footsteps light as their feet are very sensitive. They will feel you coming and they will flee. When you are hunting any type of bird, make sure that you don't brush against any leaves or branches as their hearing are pretty good."

"Is that it?" Blazepaw asked, paws itching to do something.

"For now." Flamewhisker mewed.

"Alright, will teach me how to hunt now?"

Unable to refuse the hopefulness in her apprentice's voice, Flamewhisker nodded.

"Great! Take a look at my hunting stance."

Leaping into the position that Redpaw had shown him, Blazepaw started to move forward, pretending to stalk a mouse. He stopped abruptly when he started to hear laughter.

"What is it?" Blazepaw demanded as he stood up.

"It's just..." Flamewhisker broke off in to another fit of laughter, unable to finish her laughter.

"Yeah, laugh all you want," he muttered darkly, "I'll show you."

Not giving Flamewhisker any warning, he launched himself at her, claws unsheathed. Despite the element of surprise, the only thing he hit was the ground. As he tried to recover, his legs were swept from under him.

"Oomph," Blazepaw's breath was knocked out of him.

All of a sudden, Flamewhisker had pinned him with a paw across the throat.

"Lettmeeupp!" Blazepaw exclaimed.

As he stared into his mentor's eyes, he realized that Flamewhisker's eyes shone with amusement.

"What's so funny!" He spat.

"Nothing, it's just I never had an apprentice before. I didn't know that it would be so difficult to train another cat." she meowed as she neatly retreated from him, "Now, if you would just stop showing of and just watch and listen, you will become a much better of a hunter and fighter in no time."

"Fine." Blazepaw muttered as he got back to his paws.

"Alright, get back into your hunting stance again."

"Are you just trying to make fun of me?" Blazepaw demanded

"Of course not, I just want to show you what you have to do to make it more effective and less..." Flamewhisker paused as she tried to find the right word, "awkward."

Still having his doubts, Blazepaw went back to his hunting position.

"Alright, you have the general idea down. Lower your body even more."

Straining to keep his body straight and balanced, Blazepaw did as he was told.

"That's better. Move your paws closer to your body so that you have power to pounce." Flamewhisker instructed.

Moving his paws closer, Blazepaw found it harder and harder to keep himself balanced.

"Alright. Now move forward slowly. Don't forget to keep your tail straight and off the ground."

Trying to keep Flamewhisker's instructions in mind, Blazepaw crept forward, legs straining to keep him balanced.

"That's pretty good." Flamewhisker praised him. "Now, try to pounce."

Bunching his haunches under him, Blazepaw leaped forward landing on his imaginary prey with vigor. Much to his surprise, he managed to leap further than he was ever able to.

"Impressive," He heard his mentor meow, "You're a quick learner."

Brimming with pride, Blazepaw asked, "Can I go hunt real prey now?"

"Sure, but don't be disappointed if you don't manage to catch a thrush on your first try." she warned.

As they set of into the undergrowth, Flamewhisker continued with her lecture.

"Looking for prey is also an important part of hunting. In order to catch a prey, you need to find one. When looking for prey, keep your ears pricked and eyes alert. Anything can give away your prey's position. A slight rustle in a bush, a twig snapping. You also have to keep really quite, so as..."

_Which you are not doing! _Blazepaw wanted to yowl._ Can't you just let me hunt? Stop talking, you said it yourself, in order to catch prey, you have to find one. I'll be surprised if she have not scared away half the prey in the forest._

Blazepaw tuned his mentor out, instead choosing to focus on observing his surrounding. It was new-leaf and the forest was buzzing with life. Even though he couldn't see the birds, he could hear them chirping away._ Why is Flamewhisker telling me how to find prey when there are so many of them around me?_

"Blazepaw!" Flamewhisker hissed, "I told you to stop!"

"Sorry," he apologized meekly.

"Let's just hope that you haven't scared away the mouse."

"Mouse? What mouse?"

Flamewhisker rolled her eyes. "Have you been listening to what I've been telling you?"

"Yes." Blazepaw answered, pretending to sound confident.

"Well you better have your senses checked, because a kit could smell this mouse."

Opening his mouth to taste the air, he realized that the scent of mouse was overwhelmingly strong. It all led to that one tiny hole in the tree root where a mouse can reside.

"Ohh, I smell it now."

"You weren't listening were you." Not waiting for Blazepaw to reply, Flamewhisker meowed disapprovingly, "Let's just see what you've learned. Go catch that mouse."

Blazepaw stared at her with his mouth open. "That's it? You just going to say catch that mouse? No tips?"

"Since you are not listening, you must already know everything. Catching something as easy as a mouse shouldn't be a problem for you. Or is that too easy?"

_I'll show her!_ Dropping into his hunting position, Blazepaw kept his legs close to him and made sure his tail was not dragging on the ground. Remembering the fact that mouse have sensitive feet, he took care to set his feet gently on every step. _There!_ A movement caught his eye, almost causing him to unbalance and fall over. The mouse has just came out of its home, scurrying over to a bush where it might find food. _Here's my chance!_ With his heart pounding, Blazepaw cautiously crept over to where the mouse was hiding. As he reached the bush, he realized that he could not see the mouse anymore. _Flamewhisker never told me about this! _Blazepaw started to panic. _What should I do? _Knowing that the mouse might be sneaking out of the bush at that very moment, he made his decision and pounced, hoping to get lucky. As he landed, he heard a terrified squeak and a rush of footsteps, signifying that his prey has escaped.

"Mouse-dung!" He spat. "I almost had it."

"You would have if you had waited like I told you to."

Ears burning with shame, Blazepaw turned to his mentor, "Look, let's split up. I'll prove to you that I can catch something for my clan."

"Are you sure?" Flamewhisker asked with a doubtful tone, "you might get lost."

"I'm not a kit anymore. I know the way back."

"Alright, be sure to call if you need help." With a last glance at his apprentice, Flamewhisker disappeared into the trees, leaving him with his own thoughts. Still a bit surprised that Flamewhisker had let him do this by himself, he decided to head to the border. _Besides, the faster I get to know their scent, the better. It will be interesting to see what's different there too. _

But as he set of towards what he hoped of was the border, he knew that it was not the real reason he was heading to Iceclan. _It's about the dream isn't it? _A part of him asked. As much as he wanted to, he could not ignore the dream he had a moon ago. It felt too important to ignore. _But why? Is it because of how real it felt? Or was it because you just want to be special?_ Lost In his thoughts, Blazepaw could not help but recall his dream.

"_Blazestar!" _

"_What is it?" He replied irritably, "I told you to be quiet. We don't want to alert the enemy."_

"_I'm sorry. I just want to tell you that you are doing the right thing. We have to get rid of Iceclan. They are stealing all our prey."_

"_I know that, that's why I'm leading us into battle. The battle to end all battles."_

_Silence ensued as Blazestar observed the enemy. They were unsuspecting of the approaching danger, carrying out the day as per normal. Blazestar stared at them in disgust. They will pay for stealing their prey and killing Sunstar. _

_Unable to wait any longer, Blazestar yowled, "Attack!" _

_His clan leaped into battle, pouncing onto the nearest cat they could reach. Blazestar himself whirled into battle, slashing through his enemies, destroying the opposition. As he was reaching for another cat, a she-cat with piercing green eyes pounced on him, bringing him on to his back._

"_Go away!" she yowled ferociously._

_Startled by the ferocity of the she-cat, he stared at her, mouth agape. Hissing with disgust, she clawed him across the face with all her might, tearing three long claw marks into his face. Howling from the pain, he reeled away from her, trying to get away from the pain. As she advanced towards him, hissing viciously, time seemed to stand still. Cats were balancing on their hind legs for an unnatural period of time. _

"_Look at the cat in front of you carefully." A voice whispered into his ear._

"_Who are you!" Blazestar demanded._

"_This cat is responsible for this battle, for this war." the voice continued, "If you do not stop her, Blazekit, both clans will be destroyed."_

_Blazekit was filled with horror and shock as he realized what he was doing, who he was. _

"_I'm not a leader! I don't want to fight!" Blazekit exclaimed, terrified._

"_Oh, but this is who you will be. You will be the greatest leader known to the clans. The leader that will ensure peace between the two warring clans."_

"_Really? Will I be Leader?" Blazekit asked, excited by the destiny that awaited him._

"_If, you get rid of this cat. So take a look at her. Take a close look. Remember her. And kill the snow."_

Blazepaw shivered as he relieved the terrifying dream. _But if I kill one cat to save many others, that's alright, isn't it?_ Still troubled by his thoughts, Blazepaw realized that he could smell something different in the air. It was a terrible smell, as if twolegs themselves were here. _But that's impossible, isn't it? Twolegs never venture into the forest. And I don't think this smell is Iceclan. It dosen't smell like cat at all. _Curious but cautious, Blazepaw sneaked towards the smell, wary about the unfamiliar scent. Blazepaw hoped that it was not a badger. He was pretty sure that a badger could eat him in one bite. But if he managed to find out what it is and escape it, he could warn Sunstar and maybe impress him. _He might make me his deputy after I become a warrior. _Even though he knew that it was unlikely, he still had to try.

"Blazepaw, you can do this," he muttered to himself. "How hard can it be? Just take a quick look and run back to camp."

Preparing himself with deep breaths, Blazepaw readied himself to run at the first sign of trouble.

"Here I go." he told himself.

Sending a last prayer to Starclan, he sneaked through the bushes that concealed the source of the scent. What he saw surprised him. A huge dog was standing in the middle of a clearing, staring intensely at a tree. What surprised him was in the tree. A small she-cat, who could not be older than him, was hissing at the dog, baring her fangs at it trying to scare the dog away. Despite every inch of his body telling him to run, Blazepaw knew that he could not abandon the cat. Courage flowed through him, helping him plan out his moves. _First I'll leap on its back, giving the cat a chance to escape, then I'll... _

"Kill!"

Blazepaw snapped his head up, alerted by the sudden noise.

"Kill!" The dog rasped as it started to move towards him.

Left with no other option, Blazepaw acted on instinct, charging straight at the dog, hoping to startle the dog. Just as he hoped, there was a moment of confusion in the dog's eyes as it tried to understand why its prey was running straight at it.

"Get out of here, dog-breath!" Blazepaw snarled as he swiped his claws across the dog's face.

Howling with rage, the dog leaned forward to try to take a bite out of Blazepaw.

"Too slow," he taunted as he nimbly dodged out of its way.

The dog turned around in frustration, letting out another blood curdling howl. Suddenly, his howl turned into a yelp of pain. Blazepaw watched in disbelief as the she-cat dug her claws into the dog's pelt, yanking out as much fur as she could before jumping nimbly off it. By then, the dog was already retreating, desperately trying to get away from the pain on its back. They watched as the dog fled, disappearing into the trees. Although the danger was gone, he could not help but feel weary. _Who is this strange cat?_ As if she read his thoughts, she said, "I'm Snowkit."

_Snowkit! Is this the cat I'm supposed to kill? She's just a kit!_

Noticing his sudden tension, Snowkit asked inquisitively, "What's wrong are you hurt?"

"It's none of your business." Blazepaw snapped, "What's a kit doing in the forest anyways?"

"I'm almost an apprentice alright? You look just like a kit yourself!" Snowkit retorted.

The insult stung as though he was stung by a bunch of bees.

"At least I stuck to the warrior code. You just wander into Blazeclan's territory and get yourself into trouble. You will never be a warrior!"

The words seem to hit home as Snowkit's expression took a change for the worst. Without answering, she turned around and fled into the woods, not looking back.

_I did the right thing didn't I? I chased off an intruder. Why do I feel like I did something wrong?_ As Blazepaw pondered this thought, he turned around and headed back to camp.

**Good chapter or no? Please leave your reviews to let me know. Helps me a lot! Also, I'll leave you to your own assumptions about Blazepaw and Snowkit :) Next chapter will be Snowkit's POV again. Personally, I like Snowkit more, but who knows, things might change. **


	4. Chapter 3

Snowkit ran away like a coward. She knew that she shouldn't let that strange cat affect her but she couldn't help it. It was like he was voicing out all her fears. Ever since Snowkit was born, her clanmates have always expected her to become a medicine cat, not a warrior. _But I don't want to be stuck in a smelly old den all day. I want to be out, fighting for my clan and hunting for my clanmates. _Maybe that was why she had gone with Brackenkit. To prove to herself that she could still be a warrior.

Snowkit felt like she was drowning in all her thoughts, that she was struggling to do even the simplest things.

"It's alright. You don't have to decide right now. Just let Starclan guide you."

Snowkit's eyes widened in surprise.

"Foxpaw! Where were you?" Snowkit's initial surprise and relief turned into anger. Blinking away tears, she exclaimed, "you left me! You left me to that dog and that nasty cat!"

"Snowkit, you have to learn," Foxpaw mewed calmly, "I can't always be there to protect you. You need to learn to fend for yourself."

"I'm not asking you to protect me," Snowkit exclaimed, "I'm asking you to help me."

Foxpaw remained unfazed. "You should be able to take care of yourself. I helped you get into a safe tree right? I didn't just leave you out in the open."

Even though Snowkit didn't want to admit it, she knew it was true. She should have easily been able to handle that situation. She wasn't a kit anymore. She was going to be an apprentice soon; she needed to start acting like one. _And start acting like a warrior. _She reminded herself.

"Hey Snowkit,"

"What?" she mewed irritably as she walked in what she hoped was the right direction back to camp

"Do you really want to be a warrior?"

Snowkit was startled by Foxpaw's question. He always seemed to know what she was thinking.

"Yes! Of course!" Snowkit replied.

"Do you think you can make it though?"

"Why are you questioning me like this? Of course I can make it. As long as I try my best and believe in myself, I'll be able to do it."

"What if Starclan themselves want you to be a medicine cat?" he challenged her.

"It won't matter! I can change my own destiny." she mewed stubbornly.

Foxpaw nodded approvingly.

"That is good. You have the heart and the will to become a great warrior. All you need now is the training and the talent." Foxpaw mewed.

"Really?"Snowkit asked, surprised.

"Yup. And remember, no matter what I say or what I do, I will always support you."

"Thank you." Snowkit mewed, "you don't know how much that means to me."

"No problem, I have to take care of my clanmates right?" Foxpaw said affectionately

Snowkit traveled the rest of the way to camp with Foxpaw in a comfortable silence. She was listening to the silence of the forest, finally enjoying the day when she realized that something was bugging her; she just couldn't recall what it was. It took her a while, but as she started to get near the camp, she suddenly remembered what it was.

"Brackenkit!" she exclaimed, "I forgot about Brackenkit!"

Despite Snowkit's sudden exclamation, Foxpaw just continued walking, not seeming to be affected by

her outburst.

"He's probably alright," Foxpaw mewed casually as if he was discussing what he was going to do that day, "Brackenkit is a strong cat. He's probably waiting for you at camp right now."

"You're probably right," Snowkit mewed uncertainly.

But despite what she said, she realized that her pace had quickened. By the time the camp was in sight, she was practically running at full speed.

"Snowkit!"

"Amberleaf?" Snowkit called out.

"Snowkit!" Her mother repeated, not believing her eyes, "Where have you been? Brackenkit was telling us about some mouse-brained tale about some dog and how you saved his life."

"Brackenkit is alright? Where is..." Snowkit broke of as she was covered in her mother's frantic licks.

"Stop that! I'm alright." Snowkit complained, "Where is Brackenkit?"

"He's in the medicine den." Amberleaf mewed in between licks.

Snowkit's heart plummeted. She felt a wave of anxiety was over her. Was he injured? Snowkit could not bear to think about what would happen if her brother was badly injured.

"What is wrong with him?"

"Oh, nothing bad."

Snowkit let out a sigh of relief. "Why is he in the medicine den then?"

"He managed to pull a claw when he was running back to camp." Amberleaf said as she finally stepped away from Snowkit. "Come, I must tell Silverstar. The entire clan is worried about you."

"Really? I hope I don't get into too much trouble."

"Well you caused the clan a lot of trouble already. We have been searching for you all morning."

Snowkit lowered her head in shame. She didn't want to burden the entire clan, she just wanted to keep an eye on Brackenkit. _How was I supposed to know it was going to be so much trouble? _Snowkit thought.

"Amberleaf, we still haven't..." Silverstar stopped in mid sentence when she saw who was with her.

"Snowkit, you're back!"

"Umm.. yeah." Snowkit muttered under her breath.

"Do you know how much trouble you caused?" Silverstar reprimanded her

Snowkit's tail drooped as she heard her leader's tone. "Yeah, I'm sorry." Snowkit apologized dejectedly, "I won't do it again."

"I'm glad you won't or else you would be picking ticks out of the elders' pelts for moons." Silverstar mewed, "All the matters is that you are back. You can tell me what happened tomorrow, just go get some sleep. But first, go get Thornfur to check you up for any injuries"

"Okay," Snowkit replied, glad to have an excuse to go see Brackenkit.

"See, I told you that he wouldn't be injured." Foxpaw mewed from behind her.

"Hmrph, you just had a lucky guess," Snowkit retorted, "How come Silverstar did not ask about you?"

"Oh, ummm, I guess he just forgot." he replied.

As Snowkit entered the medicine cat's den, Thornfur mewed, "Snowkit. I see that you are back."

"Yup. Silverstar asked for me to get checked up before I go rest."

"And you want to see your nuisance of a brother too, right?" Thornfur mewed grumpily.

"Hey! It wasn't all his fault." Snowkit mewed defensively

Thornfur let out a sigh and indicated for her to sit down in one of the nests. The medicine cat den was mostly empty, the only cat who was in the den was her brother, who was sleeping.

"Why are you so grumpy today? You're usually more welcoming you know?" Snowkit inquired as Thornfur ran a paw up and down her body, looking for any open wounds or scratches.

"It's nothing much." Thornfur replied,"The herbs are just not as plentiful as it needs to be. I am running a bit short on marigold and borage leaves."

"But isn't it new-leaf? Shouldn't there be more herbs?"

"There should be. I guess there just isn't enough rain for the plants to grow."

Thornfur finished checking for any injuries and got up. "You have a few scratches here and there but you should be alright. They will heal."

"Thanks for helping me."

"Sure. By the way, I heard you are having your apprentice ceremony soon."

Her apprentice ceremony! She wondered if her chances of becoming a warrior soon had been ruined by her latest adventure. She hoped not.

"Really?" She asked.

"Well that's what I heard. It's such a shame you don't want to be a medicine cat. I could use a young cat to help me out. Are you sure you want to be a warrior?" Thornfur asked hopefully.

Snowkit nodded her head without any hesitation. "Yes. But I heard that Rosepaw might want to be a medicine cat. She was always boasting about her knowledge about herbs to me in the nursery."

"Sure. I'll make sure to ask her one day." Thornfur mewed, disappointed. "Now go, you can talk to your brother when he's awake. I'll make sure to call you."

"Thank you." Snowkit said gratefully as she backed out of the medicine cat den. As she made her way to the nursery, she realized just how tired she was. Her paws felt like stone as she padded towards her nest. Despite being such a great day, with the sun shining overhead, all she wanted to do was to take a nice long nap.

"Finally," she muttered to herself as she settled into her own nest. The comforting smell of milk and the quiet rustling of the leaves lulled her gently to sleep.

It was the feeling of another cat lying next to her that woke her up. The sound of snoring entered her dreams and slowly brought her back to consciousness. Snowkit rolled over on to her side and prodded the cat next to her.

"Pshh, hey." she whispered.

"Wha?" a familiar voice asked in confusion.

"Brackenkit!" she exclaimed.

"Shhh." Brackenkit, who was now fully awake, shushed her. "Cats are trying to sleep."

Puzzled, Snowkit asked, "what time is it?"

"The middle of the night. Amberleaf said that you slept through the entire day."

"Well... I was pretty tired." she mewed, "Anyways, how's your claw? I'm surprised Thornfur let you out so soon. He didn't even let me say hello to you."

Brakenkit held up his paw, showing his claw to her. It didn't seem to be as bad as she thought it was. "Thornfur did a great job of fixing me up. You should have seen it when I arrived back in camp. It was bleeding and bleeding and..." seeing the look on Snowkit's face, Brackenkit stopped, "How did you get away from the dog?"

"I chased it off." she mewed nonchalantly.

Brackenkit's jaw dropped. "You what?"

"I chased it off," she repeated.

"I know, but how?" Brackenkit asked in awe, "It was so big and ferocious."

Snowkit recounted the event going over every single detail, except for Foxpaw. She just didn't think that Brackenkit needed to know about that apprentice. There was also something not quite right about him. For one thing, how did he manage to find her while the rest of the clan failed. Also, how does he always manage to always disappear and reappear. Something just didn't match up.

"How big was the Blazeclan cat?" Brackenkit inquired.

"He wasn't that big," Snowkit recalled, "He was probably around my age. Anyways, he was really rude and mean. I'm glad he's not from our clan. I would hate to have him as a clanmate."

"Sounds like Blazeclan is a clan of savages." Brackenkit shuddered.

"yup." Snowkit agreed. Even though that Blazeclan apprentice was really mean to her, there was something about him that made her uneasy. The first time that their eyes made contact, there seemed to be chaos in his eyes. As if he was uncertain about something important. She let out a sigh. So many questions. Almost no answers.

"Carry on," Brackenkit mewed, eyes shinning, eager to hear the rest of the story, "What happened next?"

Snowkit continued, remembering everything with perfect clarity. By the time she was finished, she was exhausted, having wasted all her energy on telling the story. On the other hand, Brackenkit seemed energized. He was practically bouncing up and down on the spot.

"That's so cool. I wished I experienced something like that. I don't remember anything after I got knocked out."

Snowkit stifled her laughter, "you did seem a bit out of it."

Brackenkit rolled his eyes, "Oh shut up, you probably wouldn't have been able to beat the dog by yourself either."

"Well at least I managed to," Snowkit mewed playfully.

Brackenkit leapt to his paws, "Oh yeah? Can you handle this?" Brackenkit pounced on Snowkit, trying to drag her on to the ground. Expecting the attack, Snowkit avoided it neatly, moving quickly to dodge the attack.

"Hah," Snowkit scoffed, "I could have dodged that in my sleep!"

Brackenkit was back on his paws in an instant, striking out at Snowkit with his front paws. Unfazed, Snowkit parried every clumsy strike with a blow of her own. Snowkit observed Brackenkit's movement carefully, looking for a weakness. Amberleaf has always told her that the key to winning a battle was by knowing the opponent. Well she certainly knew Brackenkit. As Brackenkit leaped forward for another strike, Snowkit dodged to the side, sticking out her foot, causing him to trip.

"Gotcha!" Snowkit mewed triumphantly.

As Brackenkit landed on his back, Snowkit took the opportunity to pin him down.

"Urghh!" Brackenkit grunted, struggling to get out of the pin. But despite how much he struggled and writhed, he could not escape Snowkit's grip.

"Give it up." Snowkit whispered into Brackenkit's ear.

"Never!" he replied defiantly.

"What are you two doing so late in the night?"

Startled, Snowkit loosened her grip on her opponent. That was all Brackenkit needed to wiggle out of her grip and return the favor. Within seconds, it was Brackenkit's paw over her throat.

"Hey! That's unfair! Amberleaf distracted me." she complained.

"Battle's aren't fair, are they, mom?"

"No they aren't" Amberleaf purred, "Neither is disturbing other cats for your own enjoyment. Now get off Snowkit and go back to sleep. You have a big day tomorrow."

This perked Snowkit's interest. "Big day? Why's that?"

"Oh, I didn't say anything," Amberleaf mewed with a twinkle in her eyes.

"But mommm!" Brackenkit complained as he got off her sister.

"No more complaining, go get your sleep." she mewed sternly.

"Fine." Brackenkit grumbled.

"I just don't get why she won't tell us." he muttered to Snowkit, just out of earshot of their mother, who by now has settled back into her nest.

"We are probably getting our apprenticeship tomorrow!" Snowkit whispered excitedly.

Brackenkit's eyes widened. "You really think so?"

Snowkit rolled her eyes. "Sometimes, Brackenkit, you are so daft."

"Hey! You can't say that. You are a kit too." He retorted.

"Why can't you see then? What else can happen tomorrow that needs us to be ready for."

"I dunno. Maybe our punishment for sneaking out of camp."

"Well if that's what is going to happen, she wouldn't say it so lightheartedly."

"I guess you are right." Brackenkit muttered, still sounding a bit doubtful.

Snowkit looked around the nursery, just realizing that this might be the last time she would be sleeping in the nursery. _I just hope that I will be sleeping in the apprentice den, not the medicine cat den._

Sunlight streamed through the den entrance, signaling another day for Iceclan.

"Snowkit! Wake up you lazy mouse!"

Snowkit sat up slowly, enjoying the sounds of a waking clan.

"Snowkit!"

Slightly irritated by being so rudely woken up, Snowkit snapped, "What is it?"

A bright eyed Minnowpaw bounded into view, stopping abruptly in front of Snowkit.

"The whole clan is talking!" Minnowpaw mewed.

"About what?"

"About the two new apprentices!" she said, "Is it true?"

"How am I supposed to know?" Snowkit asked.

"Well you are going to be an apprentice! You and Brackenkit are the only two kits left."

"Right," Snowkit mewed slowly, "You were the third oldest kit until last moon, when you became an apprentice."

"Don't sound so down, today is you turn!"

Minnowpaw's energy was contagious. Snowkit was already starting to feel excited for the day.

"We can't be sure that it is today," _Even though Amberleaf hinted about it to me yesterday. _She thought to herself.

"Yeah, well I certainly hope so. Thrushpaw has become even more pushy in the apprentice den. We need you and your brother to show him who's the leader."

"I didn't know that Thrushpaw was the pushy type," Snowkit chuckled.

"You haven't seen him lately," Minnowpaw mewed humorously, "I have to go, see you later."

And just like that, she disappeared as suddenly as she appeared. _Well, that was weird, why would Minnowpaw come to just tell me that?_ Snowkit shook her head. Minnowpaw has always been a strange cat. Snowkit got up, enjoying the bright and warm sunlight while she groomed her fur. If she is becoming an apprentice today, she has to look the part.

"Snowkit," Amberleaf mewed while she padded to her, "You're finally awake."

Snowkit gave her chest a quick lick, trying to keep her fur from sticking up, "where's Brackenkit?"

"He is searching the elders for ticks."

"Isn't that an apprentice job?" Snowkit asked, confused.

"It is. Silverstar let Brackenkit do it because he is going to be an apprentice soon anyways." Amberleaf mewed, "Maybe you should go help him. You need to learn to search the elders for ticks sooner or later."

Snowkit wrinkled her nose. As much as she disliked the idea of getting her paws covered in mouse-bile, Snowkit did not want to be shown up by her brother. "Sure, I'll go help him."

Snowkit padded out of the nursery. It was a great day for sharing tongues. The Sun was bright and the ground was warm. Most of the Warriors were relaxing by the fresh-kill pile, soaking up the warmth in their pelt.

As she padded across the clearing, she noticed something.

_Where is Foxpaw? I never see him around the camp. _She thought. _Well maybe he is on the dawn patrol. Yeah, that's probably it._

"Oh, look who's here." Tornleaf mewed

"Hi," Snowkit mewed.

"What are you doing here?" Brackenkit mewed as he tried to get a stubborn tick out of Tornleaf's pelt.

"I thought I would come here and help you."

"It's okay. I got this. I'm almost done here anyway."

"Oh," Snowkit said, sounding a bit disappointed, "Should I leave?"

"Mouse-dung, you just got here," Tornleaf mewed kindly, "Here, sit down. Have you ever heard the story about the Dread river?"

"You mean the deep river between our clan and the beyond?" Snowkit asked, eyes wide.

Tornleaf nodded, "Someone has been paying attention to the territory."

Snowkit nodded proudly, giving Brackenkit, who was now crushing the tick on to the ground, a triumphant look.

"Alright, so this is the story about how the river has come to be." Tornleaf licked her lips, getting ready to tell a long story. "A long, long time ago, when the clans were just formed, a rogue has just trespassed into Iceclan territory. Now, back then, the clans were very hostile against each other. Do you know why?"

"It's because of the great battle that formed the clans, right?" Brackenkit mumbled around a piece of moss in his mouth, trying not to be outdone by his sister.

"Right, I'm glad all my stories have not all been wasted. Now, this rogue was called Dread. He was really hungry when he arrived. It had been days since he had eaten. Because of this, he decided to hunt around. As he caught a few mice and started to eat, A cat named Flower stumbled upon him."

"Wait, isn't Flower a clan cat?" Snowkit asked.

"Yes." Tornleaf confirmed.

"Then why doesn't she have a clan name?"

"Back then, cats didn't have warrior names yet. Only the leader had a second part in their names. Now, if you can stop interrupting and let me tell the story, I will carry on." Tornleaf mewed with a hint of irritation.

_I was just curious. _Snowkit wanted to mew, but she stopped herself just in time.

After pausing for a moment to point out another tick to Brackenkit, she continued, " At first, Flower thought that Dread was just another Blazeclan cat trying to steal their prey. But then she noticed how thin and weak he looked. Ever since the clans were formed, cats never went hungry anymore. Because of this, she knew that Dread was an outsider. Not knowing what to do, Flower did what she thought was right. She padded over to him and tried to help him. Knowing that her clan would not accept another cat into the clan, she brought him to a cave In the territory for shelter. This was the beginning of a secret and forbidden relationship. As time went on, the two cats grew to know each other so well that they eventually fell in love. Flower would often go out 'hunting' for the entire day just to spend the day with Dread. Although there were numerous close encounters when Dread was almost discovered, Flower would always somehow manage to keep his presence in the territory a secret. One day, on a cold winter night, Blazeclan attacked Iceclan. They charged into camp, attacking any cat they could see."

Thornleaf closed her eyes, as if picturing the scene unfolding before her. "It was chaos. Cats were being chased out of camps. The dens were destroyed and the stream that runs through the camp turned red."

Snowkit let out an involuntary gasp. "Is the stream in the story the same one as the one in this camp?"

Thornleaf nodded her confirmation. Snowkit could not imagine the same happy bubbling stream was at one point been turned red.

"Flower was one of the cats who were chased out. At that moment, Flower was sick of clan life. For moons now, she has been planning to run away from the clans. She wanted to spend the rest of her life peacefully as a rogue with Dread. Now that this battle was happening, she realized that this was her chance to escape. But when she reached the cave where Dread had been staying, all she saw was a whole lot of blood. Thinking that a Blazeclan cat killed him, Flower fled. As she neared the edge of Iceclan territory, she bumped into her best friend. As her best friend told her about what happened, she mentioned that a mysterious black cat attacked her. She had no choice but to kill him. When Flower realized that her best friend had killed Dread, she killed her on the spot in cold blood. Grief stricken, she continued with her escape from her clan. As she reached the edge of the territory, Starclan struck her down with lightning. Flower had severely broken the warrior code and was deemed to dangerous to continue living. The lightning was so powerful that it left a huge gorge in the ground. This is what becomes the Dread river." Thornleaf concluded.

The elder's den was silent as Snowkit mulled over the story. She wondered how such a nice story could come to such a chilling end.

"Well," Brackenkit mewed, trying to shake off the depressing feeling that the story had left behind, "thanks for the story."

"You're welcome," Thornleaf replied, "I know that this was a rather sad story but I hope you learned something from it."

Snowkit rose to her paws, stretching out her muscles. "This is just a story right?" Snowkit asked uncertainly, "It didn't really happen."

"I'll leave you to ponder that," Thornleaf mewed with a twinkle in her eye.

Snowkit let out an irritated growl, "Come on, just tell me."

As Thornleaf opened her mouth to answer, Silverstar's voice cut through the camp.

"Let all cats old enough to swim meet under the Great Stone!"

Snowkit and Brackenkit exchanged a look of surprise.

"I didn't think that our ceremony would be today." Brackenkit mewed.

"Me neither."

Thornleaf looked at them kindly, remembering her own apprentice ceremony. "Go on. Don't make the entire clan wait for you."

Snowkit smiled as the feeling of sadness was swept away by the overwhelming feeling of joy and happiness.

"Thornleaf is right, let's go."

Snowkit bounded out of the den with Brackenkit trailing closely behind. As they reached the throng of cats gathered beneath the Great Stone, Snowkit suddenly felt a stab of nervousness. Looking at Brackenkit beside her, she knew that he was going through the same thing.

"Today, we have gathered together for one of the most important things in a Clan life." Silverstar announced confidently, "It is the naming of two new apprentices. Snowkit, Brackenkit, step forward."

With her stomach churning, she stepped forward.

"Lately, these two have been far too energetic for their own good. They have reached their sixth moon and it is time they become apprentices. Snowkit, it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you earn your warrior name, you will be known as Snowpaw. Berrysplash, you have been a great mentor before and I hope you are will pass on your skill and knowledge to this apprentice."

_Berrysplash! _Snowpaw thought, astounded. _My mentor is going to be the deputy! _

With unsteady feet, Snowpaw walked forward and touched noses with her new mentor. Even though they didn't say anything, she could see the happiness in her mentor's eyes. Snowpaw hoped that Berrysplash saw the same thing in her eyes too.

"Brackenkit, you have reached the age of six moons, it is also time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Brackenpaw. Icefang, step forward. You are an outstanding fighter and hunter. I hope you will be able to pass on these qualities to your apprentice."

Snowpaw could see the relief in her brother's eyes when his mentor was announced. Icefang was the best fighter in Iceclan. He would be able to teach Brackenpaw well. She watched as Brackenpaw touched noses with Icefang."

"Snowpaw! Brackenpaw! Snowpaw! Brackenpaw!"

"Congratulations," a quiet voice behind her mewed.

Spinning around, she saw the red apprentice sitting behind her.

"Foxpaw! I didn't see you. How do you keep doing that?" Snowpaw mewed.

"I have my ways." Foxpaw mewed with a sly smile.

"Snowpaw!" Minnowpaw mewed as she padded towards her, "Follow me, let me show you your new den!"

Snowpaw smiled. "Sure, see you later Foxpaw!"

For a moment, she saw confusion flit across the face of Minnowpaw. But when she turned to ask her what it was, Brackenpaw called out to her.

"Come on! Let's go check out our new den."

Shaking her head, she padded off after her littermate.

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a review. **


	5. Chapter 4

_Snowkit approached Blazepaw as silently as an owl in the night. She appeared out of the darkness, like a star in the night sky, shinning bright and hopeful. As she approached him, the world around him started to brighten. _

"_Kill the Snow." A cold voice hissed into the night. _

_Suddenly, an expression of horror took over her face. A piercing howl split the night sky in two, breaking the peace and silence of the night. As Blazepaw watched, Snowkit's pelt started turning red. At first, it looked like she was just changing her pelt. But as he continued to watch, the red color started dripping off her. Only then did Blazepaw realize that Snowkit was actually covered in blood. Blazepaw opened his mouth, but he could not make a sound. He was at the mercy of an invisible force, unable to move or do anything about. Finally, as Snowkit fell on to her side, Blazepaw was able to move again. He rushed to her, fearing that something bad had happened to her. Just as he feared, Snowkit's body started losing its warmth. It felt like life was slipping right out between Blazepaw's claws._

"_No!" Blazepaw managed to choke out. _

"_Yes," the voice mewed. "This is your destiny. Accept it, embrace it, and you will be the greatest cat ever to walk among the clans." _

Blazepaw woke up in the middle of the night, shivering. The voice from the dream was still fresh in his mind. As he sat up to try to calm his racing heart, he accidentally brushed against Bluepaw; who was sleeping in the nest next to his.

"Mmphr?" Bluepaw mumbled.

"Shhh, it's nothing. Go back to sleep." Blazepaw whispered.

Bluepaw opened one amber eye. "Are you sure?"

"Of course." Blazepaw muttered. "I'm just having a hard time sleeping."

Not buying the act, Bluepaw sat up; rubbing her eyes with her paws. "Having a hard time sleeping? You were fast asleep way before I was. Come on, you can tell me, I'm your friend. "

Blazepaw let out a sigh. He should have known that Bluepaw would be able to see through his facade. She had always been the most insightful cat in the nursery. "Fine, let's go outside. I feel like I'm going to suffocate."

Blazepaw weaved between the sleeping bodies of his den mates. The last thing he needed was another cat to wake up and wonder what was wrong with him. As he exited the apprentice den, he signaled with his tail to the follow him to the place behind the apprentice den. Even though Bluepaw shot him a puzzled look, she followed him. When Blazepaw was sure that no one else could overhear them, he mewed, "I don't want Shadestripe to overhear us."

Nodding her acknowledgment, Bluepaw signaled for him to continue.

Taking a deep breath, he mewed, "Okay. Like I said, it is not anything major. I was just having a series of weird dreams. Nothing too dramatic."

"Oh really?" Bluepaw mewed, sounding as if he was telling a very obvious lie. "Weird dreams, or horrifying dreams?"

Blazepaw's jaw dropped. "How did you know? I have never told anyone about my dreams."

"Well, it's kind of obvious. You were mewling and moaning in your sleep for the past two nights."

"Really?" Blazepaw mewed, horrified. "Does everybody know about my dreams now?"

Bluepaw shook her head. "Thankfully, no. You always moan really softly. I think I'm the only one sleeping close enough to notice it."

Blazepaw let out a sigh of relief. He could not bear having anyone else know about his terrible dreams. What if his clanmates exiled him because he dreams about killing cats?

"So," Bluepaw mewed, "What did you dream about?"

Blazepaw hesitated. He was not ready to tell anyone. At least not yet.

Seeing his conflicted expression, Bluepaw mewed, "It's alright if you don't want to tell me. I just thought that you would like to have someone to share your troubles with."

"Thanks Bluepaw. I really appreciate it."

Bluepaw seemed to blush for a moment; but Blazepaw could not be too sure. She turned away too quickly.

"Now, I need to get back to sleeping. I am going on the dawn patrol tomorrow." she mewed.

"Oh. Sorry for waking you up then."

"No, it's alright." Bluepaw mewed as she padded back to the den. "I'm not tired anyway."

As Blazepaw watched Bluepaw's figure disappear into the apprentice den, he realized just how much lighter he felt. _Maybe this is what I need. A friend that understands me and knows how not to ask too many questions. _

Blazepaw opened his eyes slowly as the sun rose over the horizon. Ever since he started sleeping in the apprentice den, he has always been woken up by the light of the rising sun. It just so happens that his den was right in front of the entrance; the perfect place to get the most sunlight. As much as he disliked waking up early, he could not help but admit that the sight of the waking world was an amazing one.

"Blazepaw! Get up! We need you!"

Blazepaw let out a growl of irritation. Why couldn't he just sleep through the entire morning like a kit again? He wondered if every apprentice was this tired during their first week of apprenticeship.

"Get up! Quickly!"

Blazepaw sat up, trying to wake himself up for the day. "What is it Bluepaw? It's only dawn."

"Tawnypaw is sick and needs a cat to stand in for her. Flamewhisker thought that it would be a good experience to go on your first dawn patrol."

Blazepaw dragged himself to his paws. "Alright. Give me a moment to get ready."

Licking his chest, Blazepaw managed to groom his unruly fur into a presentable state.

"Okay. Let's go." he mewed.

The dawn patrol set off from the camp at a reasonable pace. Because he was the only apprentice in the patrol, he was having a bit of trouble keeping up with the other cats. He was in a constant struggle to climb over fallen trees and climbing over difficult terrain. As all the warriors had stronger and longer legs than him, they were all able to leap over trees as if they were no bigger than tiny twigs. Just as he was about to give up and abandon any hope of keeping up with patrol, a nudge from behind him propelled him forward.

"Come on. We don't want to be left behind, do we?" Whiteheart mewed from behind.

Blazepaw quickened his pace, putting in even more effort to try to keep up.

"Thanks." Blazepaw panted.

"No problem." Whiteheart sounded as if she was not even running. "I'm just trying to keep you out of trouble."

As the patrol traversed deeper into the forest, Blazepaw settled into a mindless cycle: left paw forward, right paw forward, push off, repeat.

_Why am I here? _Blazepaw protested inwardly. _Other apprentices don't have to do this. They are all in their den sleeping. _

"Stop!" Flamewhisker commanded. "We are near the IceClan border. We don't want to arouse any suspicion with our noise."

The cats muttered in agreement as they set off once again, but this time at a more leisurely pace. Blazepaw tried to calm down his heart and quiet his breathing. In the silence of the forest, his breathing sounded extremely loud.

"Good job." Whiteheart mewed.

"Thanks." Blazepaw mewed in between breaths. "Are all dawn patrols like this?"

"No." Whiteheart mewed, " Flamewhisker probably thought that we all just needed a bit more exercise today. Plus, he probably wanted to test his apprentice's stamina."

"Oh. I didn't think about that. I thought all patrols were like this."

"No. We usually just follow the border until we meet the other patrol." Whiteheart responded.

"So, how did I do?" Blazepaw mewed curiously.

"You did surprisingly well. I did not expect you to have coped so well. Flamewhisker is probably very proud of you."

"Thanks."

As they continued walking, Flamewhisker sidled up beside him. But instead of praising Blazepaw like he thought Flamewhisker would do, she mewed, "Keep your eyes and ears alert for any signs of disturbance. Our job as the dawn patrol is to ensure that IceClan or any other dangerous animals did not enter our territory during the night."

Blazepaw nodded his head in acknowledgment. Couldn't Flamewhisker even congratulate him on doing a good job in keeping up with her? Pushing the thought out of his mind, Blazepaw reminded himself what was important.

_The important thing here is to be alert. If I don't, I might be putting the clan in danger._

As the day went on, Blazepaw's mind started to wander. There seemed to be so many questions but so little answers. The sun was starting to reach the peak of the sky when they encountered the other patrol.

"Dawnwing," Flamewhisker greeted the white calico, "See anything suspicious?"

"Nope," Dawnwing replied, "How about you?"

"Nothing," Flamewhisker mewed, "I wish that life can always be like this. Calm and peaceful."

"Yes. So do I."

"I will be heading to camp now."

"Sure. Don't hesitate to pick up a few fresh-kill on the way back. The fresh-kill pile is looking a bit small today."

Before the patrols could part ways, Blazepaw heard a rustle in the bushes.

_Well isn't this a great time to prove myself_. Blazepaw thought.

Dropping into his hunting stance, Blazepaw crept forward on feather light paws. As he inched towards his target, his prey revealed himself. A plump forest squirrel that could feed one or more cats. Feeling the eyes of his clanmates on his back, Blazepaw slid forward like a snake. Despite being very careful, he accidentally stepped on a branch, sending a resounding crack across the clearing. The squirrel stood straight up at that sound, trying to decide whether the sound was a threat.

"Please don't go," Blazepaw whispered under his breath.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, the squirrel decided that the sound was unimportant. It continued looking for nuts on the forest floor, unaware of the imminent threat. Letting out a pent up breath, Blazepaw continued his slow crawl towards his prey. When he was finally close enough to pounce, he pushed off with all his might, soaring through the air. Even before he reached his prey, he knew that he was right on target. He landed on the prey and snapped its neck in one fluid motion.

"Good job." Flamewhisker mewed. "Your form was a bit off but a catch is a catch."

Dawnwing stifled a purr. "That was the most dramatic catch I have ever seen. Anyways, that was a good one. Might be able to feed an elder or two. Flamewhisker, you have talent in your paws. It's up to you to make use of it."

"Well, just look at how my past apprentice, Whiteheart, turned out." Flamewhisker mewed light heartedly, "She used to be the most annoying cat I have ever met. But now, she's a reasonably good warrior."

"Hey," Whiteheart complained, "I was not that annoying was I?"

"Actually," Dawnwing mewed, "You kind of were."

Seeing the expression on Whiteheart's face, everyone burst out laughing.

"Come on," Dawnwing mewed when she was finally able to retain her composure, "we have a border to patrol."

The cats bid each other farewell before continuing on their own paths. With Blazepaw dragging his squirrel along, the dawn patrol headed back towards camp at a slower pace, stopping occasionally to catch an extra prey or two. When they finally arrived back at camp, Blazepaw was exhausted.

"Blazepaw! Did you catch that?" Bluepaw asked as he dropped of his squirrel on to the rapidly growing fresh-kill pile.

"Yup," he mewed proudly, "All by myself. Pretty impressive, huh?"

Bluepaw prodded the squirrel. "I don't know about that. It seems a bit squishy to me. Are you sure that this squirrel does not have some sort of disease?"

Blazepaw knew that Bluepaw was just pulling his tail, but he could not help but retort, "You should have seen the squirrel run, only a healthy squirrel could have ran that fast. On the other hand, I can't say the same for you."

Blazepaw reached out with a paw and poked Bluepaw in the flank. "You seem a bit squishy today. Have you been eating too much fresh-kill?"

Bluepaw leapt away from him and dropped into a hunting position, wagging her tail from side to side. "I'll show you who's been eating too much fresh-kill."

Dropping into a hunting crouch of his own, Blazepaw copied her movements. "You can't show me if you can't catch me."

"Oh, but I will catch you." Bluepaw mewed confidently.

"Come an-Ooof, "

Blazepaw was knocked of his feet before he could even finish his sentence. Trying to fight back, he swiped at Bluepaw with all his might. Even though he was probably stronger than her, Bluepaw was definitely much quicker that him.

"Who's slow now?" Bluepaw taunted as she sat on him "Admit it. You are slow!"

"When hedgehogs fly!" Blazepaw retorted as he struggled to free himself.

Bluepaw planted a forepaw on his chest and batted his ears with her other paw. "What did you say?"

"I said," he mewed defiantly, "When hedgehogs fly!"

_I am not going to lose this fight! I'll show Bluepaw!_

Bluepaw leaned in close to his ear and whispered, "You might want to rethink that. Or you might just be about to lose you ear."

Blazepaw stayed silent. He didn't want Bluepaw to have the satisfaction of making him submit. But then again, he also didn't want to lose an ear.

As Bluepaw took hold of his ear in her jaws, Blazekit mewed, "Alright! I'm slower than you!"

Bluepaw dropped his ear with a satisfied grin. "I knew you would see it my way. Even if you needed a bit of encouragement." Bluepaw shifted her weight back, trying to find a more comfortable position to rest. "What else can I do to embaress you?"

Bluepaw's change of position gave Blazepaw an idea. Maybe, just maybe, if Bluepaw would move one more tail-length back, he would be able to get his hind paw under her and kick her off.

_Well, its worth a try. _He thought.

In an effort to try to make Bluepaw shift backwards, Blazepaw planted his forepaws on the ground and elevated his back off the ground. Slowly, but surely, Bluepaw slid back into just the right position.

_Gotcha! _

In one quick movement, Blazepaw got his hind legs beneath her and pushed off with all his might. Bluepaw was sent flying so fast that she didn't even have time to react.

"Oomph." Bluepaw landed on the other side of the clearing with a sickening thud.

"Bluepaw?" Blazepaw scrambled to his paws and padded over to her side. "Are you alright?"

Bluepaw opened her eyes, "Yeah. But I think I landed badly on one of my paws."

"Fox-dung," Blazepaw spat, "I shouldn't have done that. I could have hurt you badly. I'm sorry."

Instead of anger, a wane smile slid across her face. "Hey, at least I know not to get on your bad side."

"I better go get Swanfeather." Blazepaw mewed.

"No need. She's already here."

Swanfeather approached them with a reproachful look on her face. "What happened here?"

Bluepaw put on her most innocent look and mewed, "Blazepaw and I were just sparring. I accidentally twisted my paw when I landed."

"Alright." Swanfeather sighed, "So many accidents nowadays. Be more careful next time. Now, let's take a look at your paw. Can you stand?"

Bluepaw tried to get up but winced when she put some weight on it. "It hurts."

"Of course it hurts. The question is, how badly is it hurt? We need to get you to my den. All my herbs are there. Without them I can't do a thing." Swanfeather mewed, "Blazepaw, help me carry her to my den."

Blazepaw crouched down while Bluepaw, with the help of Swanfeather, hobbled on to his back.

"Here we go. Hold on."

Blazepaw stumbled across the clearing with Bluepaw on his back. He didn't think that Bluepaw was that heavy! After Blazepaw set Bluepaw down in the medicine cat den, he mewed, "Bluepaw, what have you been eating? I didn't know that you were so heavy."

Bluepaw swiped at him playfully. "I would get up and throw you across BlazeClan if not for my bad leg."

"I hurt your leg intentionally." Blazepaw chuckled, "Now I can insult you all I want and not have to worry about you attacking me."

"Oh just you wait."

Swanfeather returned from her storage with a bunch of herbs. "I think that you have a sprain. It doesn't look all that bad but you will have to stay in this den for the night."

"Okay. How long do you think I have to rest before I can get back to my training?" Bluepaw inquired.

"I'm not really sure. It depends a lot on how quick your body can recover. If I would have to make a guess, I would say about one moon."

"One moon!" Bluepaw exclaimed, "By then, I would be so far behind from all the other apprentices."

"It's okay, Bluepaw." Swanfeather chided, "one moon is actually not that long."

Bluepaw sighed. "I guess I'll have to work extra hard once I get back to training."

"I'm sure you'll be alright. You're a strong cat." Swanfeather mewed. "Now, I have to go and collect some borage leaves. Send Blazepaw to look for me if you need anything. I'll be near the pond."

"Okay," they mewed in unison.

Swanfeather turned and left, leaving them alone in the den. Bluepaw looked really unhappy and restless, clawing at the moss she was lying on. Blazepaw closed his eyes, feeling like all this was his fault. If only he had given up when she asked him to, then this whole ordeal would never have happened.

"Blazepaw." Bluepaw mewed.

"What is it?"

"I'm hungry, can you get me something to eat?"

Blazepaw got to his paws, happy to be able to help his clanmate, "Sure, I'll be right back."

He pushed past the lichen that hung over the den's entrance and padded to the fresh-kill pile, hoping that there were still some prey left over. Blazpaw wondered what Bluepaw thought of him. She probably blamed him for making her miss an entire moon of training. Why did he have to be so mouse-brained?

Blazepaw pushed the thoughts from his head. _What's done is done. There's nothing I can do to change it. All I can do now is to do everything I can to make her paw better. _

As he was picking out a plump looking thrush from the fresh-kill pile, Redpaw bounded up to him.

"Have you seen my sister? She promised me that we would go hunting."

Blazepaw dropped the thrush. "Ummm, she's in the medicine cat den. She twisted her paw while we were sparring."

"Is she alright?" Redpaw asked, eyes filled with worry.

"She's okay. She might miss a moon of training though."

"Whew," Redpaw mewed, relieved, "As long as she's not hurt too badly, I'm happy. Bluepaw has a tendency to get into trouble."

Blazepaw watched Redpaw as he padded into the medicine cat den to check on his sister. He did not have the heart to tell Redpaw that he was the one who caused the injury.

_Well, Blazepaw. _He told himself. _You managed to cause yourself more grief than you already have. Good job._

* * *

><p>Blazepaw watched as the sun went down. The different shades of red coloured the sky as the sun gave way to the moon.<p>

Flamewhisker rose from her spot on the other side of the clearing and padded towards him. She sat down next to him with a heavy sigh. "How are you Blazepaw?"

Blazepaw looked at his mentor with surprise. "I'm doing great."

Flamewhisker flicked her ear. "Are you really?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

She lowered her gaze and studied the countless claw marks on the floor. "Bluepaw told me about the incident earlier."

Blazepaw's heart sank. So this was what it was about. His mentor probably came to reprimand him.

"Look," Blazepaw started, "I already apologized. And I will make sure that I will not do it again."

"I'm not here to make you apologized, nor am I here to punish you." Flamewhisker mewed, "Bluepaw is worried about you. After seeing you leave the den so angrily, Bluepaw knew that you are under a lot of stress. She wanted me to come and talk to you."

Blazepaw let out a sigh. "Is it that obvious?"

Flamewhisker did not answer, but instead looked at the sunset. "This is a beautiful sunset. Not every day has something like this at the end of it."

Blazepaw unsheathed his claws. "What do you want?" he mewed irritably, "Do you want to know what's pressuring me? Do you want to find out what's happening? Cause if you don't, I'm leaving." Blazepaw stood up and started stalking back to his den.

"Wait."

Blazepaw wanted to just ignore Flamewhisker and stalk off to his den; but instead, he stopped.

"What is it?" He did not turn around to face Flamewhisker. He was afraid that if he did, he would spill out all his secrets and troubles. About Bluepaw and Snowkit.

"I did not bring up the sunset for nothing." she mewed, "The cycle of the moon and sun is just like our lives. Think about it. The day is bright and fiery; just like all your troubles and fights. Once you have won some of your fights, you feel like you have done something amazing, just like the sunset."

_It did feel pretty good after I won the fight with Bluepaw. But that was before I found out that I had hurt her badly. Now I just feel terrible. _

"This feeling will last for only a few moments, once again, just like the sunset." Flamewhisker continued, "Now, it is night. Blazepaw, you are now experiencing the night. Everything seems dark and dangerous. But there is hope, just look up and you will see it."

Blazepaw involuntarily look up at Silverpelt. They seemed to be shining so brightly. It was hard to imagine that those lights in the sky were actually his ancestors.

"As the night sky starts to brighten up with the beginning of another day, your troubles are all gone. The sky is once again painted with the beauty of nature. And then, when you start to enjoy the day, the whole cycle starts again."

Blazepaw turned around. "What are you trying to tell me."

"Whatever you are experiencing, it is only for a little while. You have your entire life to look forward to. You are only an apprentice. I am telling you this to help you work things out, and get back to living your life."

Blazepaw looked into Flamewhisker's eyes and smiled. "Thanks for telling me, I'll be going to sleep now."

Flamewhisker returned his smile. "Glad that I can help my apprentice. By the way, don't be so quick to go to sleep."

Blazepaw shot Flamewhisker a puzzled look, "Why's that?"

"Tonight's a full moon. You are coming to the gathering with me."

Blazepaw's eyes widened with disbelief. "Really? New apprentices almost never go to the gathering!"

Flamwhisker nodded. "Today's your lucky day. Now let's get going. We Don't want to make the other cats wait."

**AN: Summer's here! Woohoo. Will try to write more when I have the time. No promises though. Remember to leave a review if you enjoyed this chapter. **


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